| Description of oceanographic conditions on the northeast US continental shelf during 2013 - :5028 | National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

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Hydrographic observations from 8 surveys spanning the Northeast US (NEUS) Continental Shelf are combined into a descriptive overview of the broadscale oceanographic conditions observed during 2013. Temperature and salinity observations are combined into bimonthly time periods to maximize both the spatial coverage of the data and its temporal resolution during the year. Maps of near-surface and near-bottom property distributions are presented for each bimonthly period, and time series of regional average properties are discussed for 5 geographic regions spanning the shelf: western Gulf of Maine, eastern Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and northern and southern Middle-Atlantic Bight (MAB). The entire NEUS Continental Shelf was generally warm in 2013 relative to the reference period (1977-1987), with warm conditions penetrating to the bottom over much of the region. The largest seasonal variability was observed in the southern MAB, where enhanced warming was observed during winter at both the surface and bottom, becoming anomalously cold during fall at the bottom. Similarly, an enhanced seasonal cycle of freshening was observed in the nearshore region along the length of the NEUS shelf, presumably a result of anomalous precipitation during spring and summer this year. Bottom waters in the MAB Cold Pool were warmer and the feature was smaller and centered further south than normal in 2013. Likewise, the Cold Intermediate Layer in the Gulf of Maine was warmer and saltier than average during the spring of 2013, presumably a consequence of the extremely warm ocean and atmosphere that dominated 2012 and the early part of 2013. [doi:10.7289/V5445JF2 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5445JF2)]

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